When You Care To Send Your Very Best… And Have It Read!

July 7, 2011

A woman removing a greeting card from an evelopeHow many emails do you open each day? Do you look in your spam folder? Do you open every piece of mail delivered by the post office? According to the Greeting Card Association, you only open 18%-28% of all email and only 48% of all letters but you open and read 98% of all greeting cards (the 2% of all unopened greeting cards are identifiable as non-personal mailings).

More interesting is that greeting cards are the first piece of daily mail a person opens. Cards are saved, cherished and have emotion and meaning. Just think about how you feel when you receive a real greeting card, instead of an ecard or Facebook greeting on your birthday. It makes you feel special, doesn’t it?

Joe Girard, listed in the Guiness Book Of World Records as the “World’s Greatest Retail Salesman” for 12 consecutive years, used to send 13 cards to all his prospects and clients every year (one every month and one for Christmas). He created a place for himself in the minds of his prospects and clients by keeping in touch with them. He knew the power greeting cards held for people.

Social media is a term assigned to digital initiatives but the word, “social” is tied to the interaction between people. As a business, how do you remain social? Do you:

  • Keep in touch with people regularly?
  • Send them “thank you” notes?
  • Send them holiday greetings?
  • Send them news and information that will be beneficial to them?
  • Just say, “hello?”

If not, then contact us and we’ll show you ways to create and maintain a direct mail card campaign of relationship marketing that will keep you in the hearts and minds of your clients (Christmas is only five months away!). Don’t they deserve “your very best?”

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Thank you to the USPS

July 1, 2011

It’s the cusp of a long holiday weekend, and many people (at least, those in Phoenix) want to get out of the heat. We want to send you into the 4th of July weekend with a quick thank you to the United States Postal Service and mention how effective direct mail and the United States Postal Service still are, despite the rise of search engine marketing, mobile marketing and email marketing.

The USPS is one of the oldest federal organizations, and despite tough economic times, it still provides an important service in the United States. In its early days, it carried letters between the Continental Congress and armies fighting the British. Today its role is less serious, but still important. it processes hundreds of billions of pieces of mail and provides an important infrastructure for marketing. $45 billion was spent on direct mail advertising in 2010, providing revenue for marketing agencies and driving sales for millions of businesses.

So thank you to the USPS. Despite countless changes and evolutions over the years, it’s still an important part of American life.

Want some more direct mail stats? Check out Deliver Magazine’s engaging infographic Statistically Speaking, Direct Mail Soars to New Heights.

We hope you enjoy your Independence Day weekend!

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SMS may not be fancy, but it works

June 21, 2011

Mobile phone displaying "Text Message"We here are R and R Images are big fans of cool new marketing technology. QR codes, PURLs, mobile apps and ads are all great tools and we’re interested to see how they all evolve over the coming years. But, we’re even bigger fans of tools that produce great results for clients, and there is one tool which meets that bill: SMS.

Yes, ordinary, unsexy text messaging is a far more effective tool for mobile advertising than QR codes, mobile ads or apps. Consider a few stats from SMS marketing application vendor TextBoard:

  • 19.3% of SMS marketing message recipients clicked an included URL, compared to MailChip’s 4.2% click rate for URLs included in email campaigns
  • on average, users visited an included URL 45 seconds after receiving an SMS message
source: TextBoard

Not only is SMS useful for marketing, but companies such as Coca-Cola are starting to rely on SMS for mobile payments as well. Maybe your company isn’t concerned with mobile payments, but we wanted to mention this as an example of the increasing usefulness of SMS in the mobile space.

Why is SMS so useful and widespread? Because it’s simple, it’s built in to nearly every cell phone on the planet and it’s supported by every wireless carrier. It is the best way to get your message in front of every subscriber. Of course, we absolutely discourage anyone from sending unsolicited SMS messages. You should always run SMS campaigns on an opt-in basis.

Still not convinced? Consider sports bar Wild Wing Cafe’s 72% opt-in rate or read OTAir’s blog post about three restaurants who saw success by offering opt-in to their email list via SMS.

The bottom line: if SMS isn’t a part of your integrated marketing strategy, you’re missing a huge opportunity.

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Direct mail and PURLs create success for Tonic Photo Studios

June 15, 2011

Direct mail and personalized URLs are big topics of conversation here on our blog and on our Facebook page. We recently created a campaign for our sister company, Tonic Photo Studios, and we wanted to highlight how we used direct mail and personalized URLs in that campaign.

Tonic Photo Studios direct mail piece

Direct mail piece for Tonic Photo Studios

The campaign was motivated by three main goals:

  • collect contact information for prospective clients
  • provide information to qualify leads
  • publicize Tonic’s blog, new Facebook page and updated public image

In order to meet these goals, we designed a direct mail piece which made use of variable data printing and personalized URLs. The personalized URLs directed visitors to a customized page featuring samples of Tonic’s work and customer testimonials. It also highlighted the blog and Facebook page.

An iPad 2 giveaway incentivized users to answer a short survey and update their contact information. Thanks to the use of PURLs, most contact information was pre-filled in the contact form. Also, PURL visitors were required to “like” the Tonic Photo Studios Facebook page in order to be eligible to win the iPad.

After sending the mailing, we saw a 3% response rate, as measured by unique visits to PURLs. We also saw that 70% of respondents filled out the survey and the number of likes on the Tonic Facebook page nearly doubled.

Keep watching for more posts about the success we’ve been able to deliver for other recent clients!

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Welcome to our new neighbors!

June 9, 2011

As you may have seen us state elsewhere on this blog, R and R Images is dedicated to providing our clients with end-to-end direct marketing solutions that provide measurable results. We don’t stand still in pursuing those ends; we’re always looking for ways to expand our offerings. That’s why we’re happy to announce that UVIAUS (pronounced you-via-us), a provider of dimensional, interactive and sensory engaging print has moved into our building.

Since 2006, UVIAUS has developed a reputation for specialty print products designed to get noticed and stay noticed. Among their products are 3-dimensional pop-up cards, 3D and Decoder cards (viewing glasses included!) and “Flips,” folded direct mailers that are as engaging as a Rubik’s Cube. You can see images of the products and request samples on their website at www.uviaus.com.

Grabbing your audience’s attention is no easy task in today’s “noisy” environment says Jaycen Thorgeirson, founder and president of UVIAUS. But rising above the noise level is what UVIAUS is all about.

“Think about how much information you’re exposed to every day – television, the Internet, newspapers, direct mail ads, billboards, sales collateral, etc. It can be overwhelming,” says Thorgeirson. “The marketing challenge is to attach your message to a medium that’s so compelling, your audience will be simply be driven to sit up and take notice. That’s what we do. It’s not about just getting the message out there; it’s about making sure that the message is received.”

In addition to its specialty paper products, UVIAUS also offers creative and marketing services, which include customized, computer-driven marketing campaigns built on email, personalized direct mail, web landing pages and quantitative, real-time feedback on the campaign’s effectiveness.

Have a look at one of their products in action, then head over to www.uviaus.com to see more!

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Putting our wall to good use

June 8, 2011

If you’ve been to our offices recently, you’ve certainly noticed our new mural along the west wall of the building! We created and installed it not only to add our personality to the building, but to highlight our design and printing expertise.

A view of the new R and R Images wall mural

A view of the new R and R Images wall mural

The mural was designed by our in-house creative team and was printed on our HP DesignJet 10000 large format printers using General Formulations Concept 201HTAP adhesive vinyl film. We printed a total of 20 panels to span the entire 65 1/2 foot width of the mural. During installation, the panels were carefully overlapped in order to create the seamless 6 foot tall image you now see.

A panel of the wall mural being installed

A panel of the wall mural being installed

We’re proud of the work our creative and large format printing teams put into bring the mural project to fruition. Next time you come to see us, take a look and let us know what you think!

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The case against QR codes

June 2, 2011

Press coverage of QR codes is everywhere in marketing circles. Everyone has an opinion as to how QR codes can be put on mailers, posters and everything else to increase engagement. Bridging the online and offline worlds via QR codes seems to be the Holy Grail at the moment.

We’re going to play devil’s advocate for a moment and make the case against QR codes. Keep in mind that we here at R and R Images aren’t anti-QR. Quite the opposite is true. We appreciate the value they can offer. We understand how to use them well in direct mail. But, despite all the hype, QR codes still have a few downsides. We want to point those out, not to discourage advertisers from using QR codes, but rather to encourage marketing solution providers and clients alike to find innovative ways to overcome the drawbacks.

So, without further delay, here is our list of four arguments against QR codes:

  1. End-user education - Everyone recognizes a URL, a phone number or a physical address. Not everyone knows what a QR code is or what to do with it.
  2. Connectivity - A QR code is meant to be scanned by a smartphone with a data connection. While smartphone usage is rapidly rising in the industrialized world, a significant portion of the people who see a QR code still don’t have a phone capable of scanning it. Also, cellular data connectivity can still be tenuous in locations such as subways or airports. Do you want to create a poster with a QR code on it, only to find out that it’s located in a subway station where many users have no bars on their phone?
  3. Support from platform suppliers - None of the large mobile platform providers include native support for QR code scanning. Neither Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android nor RIM’s BlackBerry platforms have a QR code scanning application built in, despite the fact that cameras are now standard equipment in phones. Users still need to take the initiative to download and install a scanning app. To make matters worse, each platform has a plethora of apps. To scan a QR code, a user has to not only install an application, but needs to make a decision about which to install. Doesn’t sound like a very easy way to market to consumers, does it?
  4. Multiple standards - The term “QR codes” is used somewhat generically, like “Xerox” or “Kleenex”, but the truth is that there are several standards for 2D barcodes and QR codes are only one of those. BeeTagg, Microsoft Tags and Data Matrix codes are all available and supported by various companies. To further complicate the issue, not every scanning application supports all standards.
There it is: our case against QR codes. Can all of these downsides be overcome? Certainly. Will they require some creative thinking by marketing solution providers such as ourselves, and by our clients? Of course. The challenges don’t mean that QR codes shouldn’t be used; they’re signs that great opportunity lies waiting for those with innovative solutions.

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Digital is good, but so is physical

May 24, 2011

To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of printed material’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. As computers became indispensable office tools, many predicted that the “paperless office” was sure to follow. Radio, television and the Internet were all pegged to be the death knell of newspapers and magazines. Some say e-book readers will render paperbacks and hardcovers useless. And now, some marketers think that the reach and interactivity of digital marketing will leave print behind as relic of analog days gone by.

Despite years of advancing technology, printed materials still remain a vital part of modern culture. Certainly tremendous change has come to publishing and other print-based industries, but newspapers, magazines, books and print marketing are still here.

Close-up of an open letterbox with mail in itSo what does this mean for direct mail? It means that it’s just as important as ever, because it has one great advantage over digital marketing: it can be seen, touched and experienced in 3D. Humans are tactile beings. We like to feel and see physical objects in front of us. Direct mail delivers an experience unmatched by mobile advertising, web-based marketing or even television.

This may explain why Google, a company which built its financial empire atop Internet advertising, turns to direct mail to promote its products. Heidi Tolliver-Nigro’s article If Print Is Dead, Why Is Google in My Mailbox? at The Digital Nirvana explains how digital content is now providing the foundation for print-based marketing. Even Google now advertises its own digital advertising platform via direct mail.

Is print dead? Far from it.

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Cross-ethinc marketing?

May 13, 2011

Thinking about race and ethnicity in marketing (or anywhere in business for that matter) can be tricky. Companies go to great lengths to avoid discrimination in their hiring practices and workplace environments. That’s a good thing. But outside the corporate environment, ethnicity matters. Different ethnic groups respond differently to marketing messages. We’re not talking about racial profiling or other negative practices. What we are talking about is effective market segmentation and appropriate messaging. Businesses who don’t make an effort to tune their message for different ethnic groups risk missing sales opportunities.

Unfortunately, determining how to tune a marketing message for ethnic groups is largely an unanswered question. The article entitled Marketers should target Hispanics, but how? Um… written by Tim Peterson on Direct Marketing News is a excellent discussion of the challenges faced by non-Hispanic companies when marketing to Hispanics. While marketing to Hispanics is something many companies need to consider, the need is especially acute here in Arizona. In 2009, Arizona’s percentage of Hispanic residents was 30.8%, compared to just 15.8% nationwide according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Companies who do business in Arizona and don’t market to Hispanics risk missing nearly one-third of their potential customers, yet a concrete strategy for mitigating that risk hasn’t been developed yet. Peterson offers some of his thoughts, but no one has real-world examples of success. So the question remains: how can companies market to ethnic groups without appearing insensitive or coming off as unauthentic?

We’re not certain of the answer either, but if you have thoughts or an example of a strategy which has been tested, please share them in the comments.

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Find value in variable data printing

May 11, 2011

Variable data printing (VDP) is one of the greatest technological advances in direct mail marketing. No longer are marketers forced to send the same message to huge numbers of prospects. Thanks to digital printing, marketing solution providers like R and R Images can produce messages tailored to very specific demographics and personalized on an individual basis.

Let’s face it: direct mail doesn’t sound as alluring as hot topics like mobile, social and digital display. Putting ink to paper often seems like a relic from an era before everyone used devices prefixed with the letters “i” or “e”. But recent studies show otherwise.

Marketing Sherpa recently published a study which showed that the majority of B2B organizations still find value in direct mail. 79% of respondents said that direct mail was somewhat or very effective, and Marketing Sherpa speculated that this may be due to the advancements of variable data printing.

Ethan Boldt of DirectMarketingIQ agrees with this assessment. In his article at Target Marketing magazine, DirectMarketingIQ’s chief content officer distills lessons learned from six case studies and dubs today’s VDP “Direct Mail 2.0″. In his article, he highlights key points of successful campaigns and finds that the greatest reason for VDP’s increased response rates is simple: it connects with people on an emotional level. Highly personalized messages tap into emotions which could not be reached by the homogenous messaging of the past.

At its most basic level, marketing is about motivating action by generating an emotional response. Direct mail which leverages VDP may not be the fanciest tool in the marketers toolbox, but it is certainly one of the most effective.

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